VERMONT EPSCoR

OUR RESEARCH

A Partnership of Higher Education, Private Industry and State Government.

Vermont EPSCoR

The Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is a program designed to fulfill the National Science Foundation's (NSF) mandate to promote
scientific progress nationwide. The EPSCoR program is directed at those jurisdictions that have historically received lesser amounts of NSF Research
and Development (R&D) funding. Twenty-eight states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands and Guam
are currently eligible to participate.

Basin Resilience to Extreme Events

The BREE project helps identify strategies for resilience in the social ecological system of the Lake Champlain Basin. Research methods include creation
of a new soil sensor network, leveraging of existing water sensors for redeployment, and development
of new models, including land use and network models that capture the cognitive behaviors
and opinions of land users and policy makers.

Center for Workforce Development and Diversity

The VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity works to cultivate and prepare students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Through integrating students and teachers into active research we inspire students to pursue STEM careers. The CWDD helps connect interested students in social science and STEM areas with faculty researchers throughout Vermont at multiple institutions.

NEWS

Research in Action!

Upcoming Events/Solicitations

VT EPSCoR CWDD Undergraduate Scholarship Program

The VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD) works to cultivate and prepare a diverse science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce in Vermont by inspiring students to enter STEM careers. As part of our work we are pleased to award $5,000 scholarships to Native American (including Abenaki) and First Generation college students who enter STEM majors at a Vermont college or university. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic standing, letters of recommendation, and an essay detailing career goals.

BREE Members Present at ASLO 2019 Aquatic Sciences Conference

BREE Ecological Systems Team Co-Leader Andrew Schroth, PhD and Vermont EPSCoR GRA Wilton Burns attended the 2019 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Aquatic Sciences Meeting, which ran from February 23rd through March 2nd in San Juan, Puerto Rico. While there, they presented a poster titled "Understanding the timing and intensity of cyanobacteria blooms in St. Albans Bay and Missisquoi Bay," which featured BREE research.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Vermont EPSCoR provides the opportunity for Vermont small businesses to compete for grants to foster research and development projects which will lead to application to federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs.
The main goal of the Vermont ESPCoR Phase (0) solicitation is to identify proposals that show promise for success in federal SBIR competitions

Vermont EPSCoR seeks collaborative proposals from higher education – small business partnerships for research that is complementary to our BREE research. These awards are for innovation; and to move research forward. While undergraduate support is allowed, Pilot Awards are not intended for primarily undergraduate research.

The Undergraduate Internship Program offers students the opportunity to participate in current research conducted through the Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) program. Undergraduates selected to participate in the BREE program will be matched with a research team of faculty and graduate students working on the transdisciplinary BREE research program. Students perform full-time research for 10 weeks during the summer with a faculty members. In April, students give an oral presentation or poster presentation of their research results.

The VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity (CWDD) works to cultivate and prepare a diverse science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce in Vermont by inspiring students to enter STEM careers. As part of our work we are pleased to award $5,000 scholarships to Native American (including Abenaki) and First Generation college students who enter STEM majors at a Vermont college or university.

The High School Program offers students and teachers the opportunity to participate in current research. Through involvement in the Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) research program, participants develop skills in scientific methods and Earth systems thinking and experience what it is like to be a scientist.

Research can be a powerful way for teachers to enhance science content. The goal of the VT EPSCoR CWDD middle level outreach program is to expose middle level teachers and students to scientific research.